The sun

The defenestration unit - tonight - the avant garden - 10 pm - jeffs last gig as a bachelor - his lady plays downstairs at 8 with two sta

Beyond the ‘Zipless Fuck’ With Erica Jong - 10 Zen Monkeys

Beyond the ‘Zipless Fuck’ With Erica Jong - 10 Zen Monkeys: "But one is too wise, by then, to think of it as anything but a zipless fuck. Or a zipless fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck — and done, because you don't want to be their nurse, and you don't want to be their purse. I did that when I was in my 40s. And you don't want to blurb their book — their bad book."

Coilhouse » Blog Archive » Mondo 2000: Where Are they Now?

Coilhouse » Blog Archive » Mondo 2000: Where Are they Now?:

"So, what made Mondo 2000 so special? It was, in my opinion, the best alternative culture magazine that America ever had."

There were once zines I read all the time...
Mondo 200, ANSWER ME!, etc...

now I just stare at this screen all day.

holly golightly & the broke-offs

don't know where you were last night,
but I doubt it was at rudz.
the show was amazing.
maybe the first time I've teared up in publuic
since my near nervous breakdown
in a james coney island in 2000.
i sat alone,
drinking whiskey
eyes closed
stomping my feet
and singing along.
they were selling a tour only cd,
which I am listening to now.
u missed it.
bad u.

super hero soap opera

tdu - podcasts

Click here to get your own player.

Tdu - tonight - ten pm - avant garden - free

Go see rats!

Rats tuesdays 8pm 13th between shepherd and durham

On break

Art cars at traders village... Tdu soon

The beer cellar

A bathtub full of ice

365 days/365 plays - ornery theatre - tonight - 8pm - the artery - 5401 jackson street - free

Welcome to the new American police state. Papers please?

watch this space

tdu now has t-shirts

watch this space for pictures of hot girls in tdu shirts.

I'm a city mouse. When i take psychedelics i stay in the city. No communing with nature... I talk to the concrete and the cars... The

Vodka tonic by candlelight.

I worked hard today. I deserue a drink.

Ornery Theatre - 365 plays 365 days

hey kids!

doin' my 365 at the Artery Friday night...
8pm

5401 Jackson St, Houston, TX 77004

come on out!

I've got Jennifer Decker, Mark Carrier, Rob Baker, Ayn Morgan and
myself directing
and a lot of the usual suspects (paul, joe, walt, jen, kira, greg
dean) and some relatively new
faces too...

I think we've come up with some interesting takes on the scripts,
and hey it's free!

Kid Ornery

Radiohead lets fans pick price for new album - Boing Boing

Radiohead lets fans pick price for new album - Boing Boing:

"They're only selling it through their website (at least for now), and for the digital download version, they're letting listeners pick their own price for the album - it's literally a donation-based product."

An exciting night of laundry

The Last Bastions Reunion!

Charlie has podcasted the recent Last Bastions show...


The Last Bastions Reunion!

Following the Sad Pygmy set from the previous podcast of live performances from the birthday party for John Muzak at Super Happy Fun Land, I now present the Last Bastions, experimental duo of Charlie Naked and Mike Switzer. The last time we played in public was at Diverseworks for our Houston Residency there in 2003.

Press Release - Ornery Theatre Presents - 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks DATE AND VENUE CHANGE

PRESS RELEASE 9/28/07

For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Mike Switzer

832-725-4108 or mike.g.switzer@gmail.com

Ornery Productions Presents:

365 Days/365 Plays

Houston, TX: WHAT IS 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS?

On November 13, 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a
day for a year. She began that very day, finishing one year later. The
resulting play cycle, called 365 Days/365Plays, is a daily meditation
on an artistic life. Some plays are very short, less than a page.
Others last forever.

Over 700 theaters are producing the plays nationally. Including local
groups such as Ornery Theatre, Infernal Bridegroom Productions,
NovaArts, HSPVA, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre, and Strand Street
Theatre.

Ornery Theatre is performing their 7 assigned plays, along with The
Three Constants (short plays that all theatres in the festival may
use), on October 5 at 8pm. The show is "Pay as You Like",
meaning it is free to the public, although patrons are encouraged to
make a small donation to the production. The performances will take
place at The Artery - 5401 Jackson St, Houston, TX 77004.

For more information about this production, please visit Ornery's
website at www.myspace.com/theaddingmachine or call 832-725-4108.

For more information about the 365 days/365 plays festival in general,
please visit the official website at www.365days365plays.com.

What:
365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan Lori-Parks

Who:
Ornery Productions

When:
October 5 at 8pm

Where:
The Artery
5401 Jackson St, Houston, TX 77004

How Much: Free, or pay as you like

Contact:
832-725-4108 or mike.g.switzer@gmail.com

The defenestration unit - tonight - notsuoh - 8pm - free

Disinformation :: The Honesty Of Atheism: 'Everything You Know About God Is Wrong'

Disinformation :: The Honesty Of Atheism: 'Everything You Know About God Is Wrong'

Often we use one of our other labels as a "polite" way of saying we're atheist. For some reason, using the word that best describes our position with regard to the existence of gods is considered in-your-face - rude. Some atheists use these other terms because they don't want to alarm the general public. While I can sympathize, it's clear that the general public wouldn't be so outraged by the word if we’d use it more freely.

While it’s frustrating to have atheism misunderstood and mischaracterized by the religious, to hear it maligned by fellow atheists is disheartening. Much of the trouble in which atheists find themselves can be laid at their own feet, it would seem. Too many insist that atheism requires an absolute certainty or belief that gods do not exist. They prefer the word agnostic, mistakenly thinking it describes a skeptic, a doubter, or a person who just doesn’t know.

The reality is that atheism is the only intellectually honest position a person can take - it is the only logical stance.

crooked house: Beckett for Babies

crooked house: Beckett for Babies: "Beckett for Babies"

you could do worse by yr kid...

Sometimes i want to get saved... But eventually i give up - give in - stop chasing salvation in female form. It is then that i seek out a she-devil - a like-minded mess for trouble and fun.

On break.

The orange show

In a little over an hour the defenestration unit will be playing at the orange show.

We're done

In just a few minutes TDU will be playing at notsuoh

Hammerhead: on lying

Press Release - Ornery Theatre Presents - 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks

PRESS RELEASE 9/10/07

For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Mike Switzer

832-725-4108 or mike.g.switzer@gmail.com

Ornery Productions Presents:

365 Days/365 Plays

Houston, TX: WHAT IS 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS?

On November 13, 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a
day for a year. She began that very day, finishing one year later. The
resulting play cycle, called 365 Days/365Plays, is a daily meditation
on an artistic life. Some plays are very short, less than a page.
Others last forever.

Over 700 theaters are producing the plays nationally. Including local
groups such as Ornery Theatre, Infernal Bridegroom Productions,
NovaArts, HSPVA, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre, and Strand Street
Theatre.

Ornery Theatre is performing their 7 assigned plays, along with The
Three Constants (short plays that all theatres in the festival may
use), on October 4 and 5 at 8pm. The show is "Pay as You Like",
meaning it is free to the public, although patrons are encouraged to
make a small donation to the production. The performances will take
place at Pearl Bar, 4216 Washington Avenue.

For more information about this production, please visit Ornery's
website at www.myspace.com/theaddingmachine or call 832-725-4108.

For more information about the 365 days/365 plays festival in general,
please visit the official website at www.365days365plays.com.

What:
365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan Lori-Parks

Who:
Ornery Productions

When:
October 4 and 5 at 8pm

Where:
Pearl Bar
4216 Washington Avenue
Houston, TX 77007
Phone: (713) 868-5337

How Much: Free, or pay as you like

Contact:
832-725-4108 or mike.g.switzer@gmail.com

Madcap - I'm directing this weekend...

This should be a lot of fun...
I'm directing...
so is Jennifer Decker and Johnathan Harvey...
among the writers there is Paul Locklear, Joe Folladori, John Harvey...
Walt is acting, as well as some other faces you'll recognize...

come on out...

Country Playhouse presents "MADCAP 24" …an avant-garde
multi-theatrical event involving a collaboration on the production of
8 original one-act plays by participants from Houston theatre
organizations. The entire process of writing, casting, directing, and
staging this production will take place over 24 consecutive hours,
culminating with a single premier performance at 8pm on August 11,
2007 on Country Playhouse's Cerwinske Stage.

Country Playhouse has gathered writers, directors, and actors from
various Houston Theatre organizations, including:

Brazosport Lil Players
Country Playhouse
Dos Chicas
Fan Factory
Mildred's Umbrella
NovaArts
Ornery Theatre
Shunya Theatre
Theatre Illuminata
Theatre Suburbia
The University of Houston
Town Centre Theatre
Unhinged Productions
and more...
The diversity of groups involved provides opportunities for
entertaining chaos from start to finish. What results will be an
entertaining night of experimental works spanning a wide range of
Houston theatrical styles.

Country Playhouse is located at 12802 Queensbury Lane (in Town &
Country Village) south of I-10W and east of Beltway 8.

Travel time from the inside the inner loop to the theatre is about 30 minutes.

A Google map of the Playhouse's location can be found at:
http://map.countryplayhouse.org.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available by calling 713-467-4497
or online through http://www.countryplayhouse.org.

Tickets are
limited as this is a one-night only performance.

As we intend to respect the artistic integrity of our writers, content
may not be suitable for all audiences.

Country Playhouse is supported in part by generous grants from Houston
Endowment Inc.; Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation;
Texas Commission on the Arts; and the City of Houston through the
Houston Arts Alliance.

YOU can help save Frenetic Theater!

FrenetiCore needs your help. We have had to temporarily close our theater to make necessary improvements. This will leave many local artists without a place to perform in the coming months, so the sooner we can re-open our doors, the better.
You can help! There are two events coming up that will benefit FrenetiCore and the Frenetic Theater. Read on:

'DRINK HOUSTON BETTER' at Poison Girl, this Sunday (August 5th) beginning at 6pm.  Get your drink on while you watch highlights of our past filmic dance performances--plus you can bid on an awesome art auction, buy personalized songs composed by Robert Thoth, get chair-massaged, and eat delicious homemade treats!   All the proceeds will be donated to FrenetiCore. It's arguably the easiest way you can help support the arts in Houston and ensure that your favorite multimedia dance company can continue to perform for you.

'DRINK HOUSTON BETTER for FrenetiCore' Details:
Where: Poison Girl, 1641 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77006.
When: Sunday, August 5th, 6pm until they kick us out.
How much: As much as you want!
For more information: 713.449.8375, myspace.com/freneticore

And...

If you're not a big drinker, but love watching dance, come to 'SAVE FRENETIC THEATER!,' Cassandra Shaffer Dance Ensemble's benefit/dance performance on August 11th (1pm) and August 12th (8pm) at Hope Center. The Ensemble will present an eclectic mix of dance performances (including modern and contemporary dance, ballet, multi-media, and spoken word), and a light reception of food and drink will follow. All proceeds go to the Frenetic Theater. This performance is family-friendly, so you don't need to find a sitter for the kids.

Cassandra Shaffer Dance Ensemble's 'SAVE FRENETIC THEATER!' Details:
Where: Hope Center, 1210 West Clay #26 (Entrance on Van Buren), Houston, TX 77019
When: Saturday, August 11th at 1:00pm; Sunday, August 12th at 8:00pm
How much: A minimum donation of $8.00
Reservations: 832.275.4030 or cassandra@cassandrashaffer.com
For more information: myspace.com/cassandrashafferdance

Hope to see you at one or both of these events!
 - FrenetiCore Dance Theater

---

Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search.

Houstonist: Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - sad moon over the axiom

Houstonist: Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - sad moon over the axiom

Infernal Bridegroom Productions

Infernal Bridegroom Productions

Infernal Bridegroom Productions closes its doors | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Infernal Bridegroom Productions closes its doors | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

simplify media

i am using simplify media to give my friends and family access to my
music library. set up is fast, and the software is integrated with
apple itunes.
to play my music, download simplify media for mac or pc from:

http://www.simplifymedia.com/welcome.html

once installed, click the 'invite' button and use my screen name: ornery

it's simple, safe and free.

(Everything on their webpage leads me to believe it is legal - until
the RIAA finds a way to get them shut down anyway...but I don't think
individuals are taking any real risks here...been using it for
days...seems safe as well...if my internet connection were a little
more reliable I could tell how well it really works, but I encourage
you to give it a try....)

Mike

simplify media - share yr music library with friends...will be cool if it works as advertised...

i am using simplify media to give my friends and family access to my
music library. set up is fast, and the software is integrated with
apple itunes.
to play my music, download simplify media for mac or pc from:

http://www.simplifymedia.com/welcome.html

once installed, click the 'invite' button and use my screen name: ornery

it's simple, safe and free.

this actually seems like it will be pretty cool, but I won't know for
sure till somebody else I know signs up...

M

so...

at the bar
after the show
feelin' ornery
rather be home
drinking alone
nothing I drink there
so the bar it is
i'd picked up residue
from the negative
energy around me
two good friends
in bad bad moods
eventually had some
good conversation
then remembered
a rumor
a rumor
i heard
a rumor
i tend to believe
a rumor
that if true
means a friend
has actively worked
against me
against my interests
against my artistic life
and then i realized
it was not just
residual badness
reverberating
through my night
but the idea of
betrayal and
pettiness
and with my head
in that vodka filled
and angry place
i proceeded to
let my hostility spill out

if any splashed on ya,
i apologize.

i was not

I was not always the freethinker I am today.

In Jr. High School, at a church lock-in (friend's church - I had stopped going to church already), after a taped seminar about the "evils of rock'n'roll", complete with backmasking and satanism I
actually raised my hand and said something to the effect of,
"I always knew rock'n'roll was bad,
I just didn't know why or how bad."

true story.

I know now that the "evil" of rock'n'roll is its portrayal of a world without consequences. Back in jr. high I was still listening to country music exclusively. There will never be a great rock'n'roll song about a hangover - most country songs about drinking are not about partying, but about hard drinking - drinking alone - drinking to forget -

here I am again
mixing misery & gin
sitting with all my friends
and talking to myself

in the world of rock'n'roll it is always Saturday night. In the country, Sunday morning comes all too soon and it is a reckoning...whether it is Sunday Morning Coming Down or That Word Broadminded is Spelled S-I-N there is a sense of consequences to yr actions - a sense of the cost of being lost.


In high school I berated and lectured my girlfriend when she
got drunk. She snuck liquor out of her parents liquor cabinet
and when she told me I got crazy mad...
I only get that mad now when people take away my whiskey.


have to go to work now -
this post came about because Atrios mentioned
growing up at the height of neo-puritanism,
"Reagan and A.I.D.S.",
and I think often
of how that era shaped me and people my age...
and I don't even have time to go into how
the neo-puritans warped my ideas about sex...

Dark Matter - Thursday Night - Pay what you like, what you can, what you want, blah blah, just come out...

we'd love to see you on opening night...
fr real...
thursday night
8pm
midtown arts center

make the umbrella holder happy and call for a reservation even...
832-418-0973

Mike Switzer
(a.d. and stage manager, Dark Matter)

www.mildreds.umbrella.com

Dark Matter:
Five Gothic Tales of Horror
By Don Nigro

Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company takes a journey to the dark side of
romance this summer with five short plays of gothic horror by Don
Nigro. The plays include:

Lucy and the Mystery of the Vine Encrusted Mansion. An eccentric
comedy that is a "Gorey drawing come to life" in which a girl,
'sixteen and lost', becomes entangled in a tale of her own invention
that may not allow her to return from it sane.

The Malefactor's Bloody Register. A true story of abuse and murder
from the pages of the notorious eighteenth century compendium of
crime, The Newgate Calendar, in which three young girls tell of the
horrors they suffered at the hands of a mad midwife. "One lived, one
died, one was lost. Which is which?"

Higgs Field. Andromeda awakens from a dream about ravens and runs to
Higgs Field, where surreal metaphors of modern physics spring to life
as a Gothic nightmare.

Darkness Like a Dream. A lonely actress cast as a fairy in A Midsummer
Night's Dream leads a man on an eerie journey through a labyrinth of
dark country roads, growing more and more afraid of what will happen
when they stop.

Joan of Arc in Autumn. A young woman speaks about her confused
memories of her life and martyrdom, which now seems like a dream in
which there is much whispering and everything is burning. Perhaps she
is a mad girl found in a brothel; perhaps not.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact: 832-418-0973 or email mildredsumbrella@hotmail.com

Who: Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company
What: Dark Matter: Five Gothic Tales of Horror
When: July 5, 6, 7, 9,12,13,14,16, 19, 20, 21
Where: Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman
Price: Preview Show, Thursday, July 5- Pay What you like
Saturday, opening night party and show- $25.00

Other shows:
$10.00 on Thursdays
$12.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Two "pay as you like" Mondays, July 9 and July 16

Dark Matter...who, what, when where and why...

Dark Matter: Five Gothic Tales of Horror by Don Nigro

Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company takes a journey to the dark side of
romance this summer with five short plays of gothic horror by Don
Nigro.

The plays include:

Lucy and the Mystery of the Vine Encrusted Mansion. An eccentric
comedy that is a "Gorey drawing come to life" in which a girl,
'sixteen and lost', becomes entangled in a tale of her own invention
that may not allow her to return from it sane.

The Malefactor's Bloody Register. A true story of abuse and murder
from the pages of the notorious eighteenth century compendium of
crime...

Joan of Arc in Autumn
July 5th-7th, 9th, 12th-14th, 16th, and July 19th-21st

Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman

Preview Show: Thursday, July 5th - Pay What you like
Click Here For Tickets
Saturday July 7th, Opening Night Party and Show: $25.00

$10.00 on Thursdays

$12.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

"Pay as you like" Mondays, July 9th and July 16th

so, at the bar tonight with some other folks who worked on the show...
and a flier is handed to someone who sits at our table...
a flier for the show -
it has who, what, when, where and price...
no why?
he asks, "where is the why?"

I thought about it a lot on the way home,
and there are certain whys to see theatre,
and whys to see this show...
here is a drunk and rambling combination of the two...

theatre,
like all art,
holds a mirror
up to you -
if it is good,
and you are willing
to look -
it can show you
not just things
you've never seen,
but things that you
never would have
imagined were there.

It does some other very specific things too -
and I'm still trying to nail them all down,
but I'll tell you this -

you are watching
real people
go through
real things
on stage
and when we fire
on even half
our cylinders
we can give you things you'll never get
once removed
through a screen...

This show
is about
the nature of time,
the relationship
between power
and gender,
the things one might
be willing
to sacrifice
in order to feel
"in control",
the true nature
of the unseen world,
what it means
to hear voices -
to have vision -
and the horrible things
we are capable of -
how we can break
others as we are
broken and all
in the name of the lord
(have no doubt,
the monsters are human,
even if they claim to be
punishing you for your sins...)

and oh yeah,
it's a helluva show...
funny, creepy, unsettling, thoughtful, beatiful, real,
and yes,
entertaining...

and it's cheap,

inexpensive tickets
mean you can take me out
and buy me a drink after...

how's that for a deal?

Kid Ornery

(mike switzer - stage manager and a.d. on Dark Matter)

fist of kong

insubordinations | netlabel for improvised music | insub12

365 days/plays - 7 answers - Bobbindoctrin

drunk blogging

I.

I am
a hardcore
humanist.
what does that mean?
I believe
the question of God
is unanswerable
and therefore
we must
get better
at handling
this shit
ourselves.

to let go
and let God
is simply to let go...
if that is yr choice,
so be it...
but recognize it.

we are all we've got
and we have
to do better.
if you believe God
helps those who
help themselves
then I assume
to some degree
you agree.

embrace the mystery
we don't know
we can't
get on with it

push past it
to what you can do

jesus christ!
that sounds like just
so much more
mumbo-jumbo

but folks,
it's all I've got.




II.


I don't believe in gurus.

I think everybody
knows their road...
some of us
just need
to learn
how to walk.


i don't believe in the mind/body split really,
but i know that, sometimes,
my body
and
my mind disagree
on everything
from tacos
to sex

why is it
that my tongue
and my brain
like things
that make
my stomach
and my bowels
so unhappy?

I'd rather not
even think
about the
disconnect
and connect
between
my two heads.
Thanks.

I don't believe in anything really

I only know what I experience

but my experience says that my actions
have consequences
and so I must accept that as reality,
be it real or not.



III.

I believe that
even I do not
understand
my own actions

one hemisphere
of my brain
tells the other
stories
about why I do things
and these
stories
then justify
other things I do

the stories grow
and become
a history
with patterns
and cycles
and morals

and then
suddenly
yr lost
and
you surprise yrself
yr capable of something
else

and you tell yrself
a new story.


IV.

by the way,
I am drunk and
more wrong than right

and yet,
I say -
take care of yrself,
nobody else will.

i want to be sedated

tonight

going to see these guys:



instead of getting some much needed sleep...

REAL ART (and politics and culture)

REAL ART (and politics and culture)

Stealing and shitty performance are tried and true methods of resistance that date back to slavery, at least. I mean, what can you do when your options are extremely limited? Easy, do a bad job. The sad thing is that a lot of these workers might actually feel a bit guilty about ripping off their boss, about doing nothing while on the clock. They shouldn't. Wal-Mart treats their employees like shit and this is what they deserve.

Houston - Photo Gallery - Medicine Show No Mo - The Sideshow Tramps, formerly Medicine Show, have conquered Montrose and the Heights. What's next? - h

Houston - Photo Gallery - Medicine Show No Mo - The Sideshow Tramps, formerly Medicine Show, have conquered Montrose and the Heights. What's next? - houstonpress.com

been a while...

moved into the new place

seem to have found a fairly stable internet connection

getting things somewhat back on track...

finished up Lower Depths and had one night off
then started working on the next MU show

stage managing and AD'ing for

Dark Matter - Five Gothic Tales of Horror


Is everyone you know as crazy as everyone I know?
are they all having crazy times?
seems to be what is going round, round here, these days...

hope yr life has some of the good crazy...

Kid Ornery

Bloggin'

Internet is off and the lower depths is over.
Starting work on the mildreds summer show today and working on the move.
Havent talked to one of my best friends in something like a month and
another friend is around a lot after a girlfriend induced absence.
Ran into a friend at tdu's notsuoh show who said she loved me.
Said i had it all together which leads me to believe she doesn't know me at all.
Went on a date - with someone else - which went well but also
highlighted some of the ways i am a mess.
So here i sit
at the candy store
typing on my phone and feeling the confusion fill my head.
Whoohoo!

HandStamp: Local players crash the art car parade

for those of you what missed us in the parade...

HandStamp: Local players crash the art car parade

look for more pics (Ayn got some great ones) soon...

M

art car parade

today was great...
we played Lennon's "I don't want to be a soldier"
and Ra's "Space is the Place"
tdu was #87 in the parade
riding around in a loverly
design by ayn
pulled by shelley's "Mpeach" truck...

"Make Noise
Not War -
The Defenestration Unit"

yeehaw!

and now it is off to more lower depths...
playing at notsuoh at 3 am,
working at noon and playing at super happy
4 pm tomorrow

yeehaw

The Austin Chronicle: Arts: Mr. Not So Frivolous: Wallace Shawn bares all about writing, why he does theatre, and that play he wrote with all the sex

The Austin Chronicle: Arts: Mr. Not So Frivolous: Wallace Shawn bares all about writing, why he does theatre, and that play he wrote with all the sex in it

There was a friend of my parents who was interested in theatre, and a friend was always saying about certain people, "He's a real professional," or in some cases, "Oh, he's not a professional." And from the time I was a boy, I knew there was something about that that I didn't care for because if the people are professional, it sort of implies that it's something they're doing competently, but they don't really care about it that much, and when they go home they can forget about it, and I suppose that's the feeling I had. And I'm not sure that's worth my time as an audience member. If I'm going to spend an evening watching some people, I want to see their soul. I want to see something that's terribly important at least to them. If it isn't that important, just a job, why should I go out and watch them?

Houston - Arts & Entertainment - Stage Capsule Reviews - houstonpress.com

Houston - Arts & Entertainment - Stage Capsule Reviews - houstonpress.com

Not sure what to quote...
but it is a good review,
which hopefully means we'll find an audience.

billy childish interview

The Lower Depths

we opened tonight.
we kicked ass.
really.

there is a lot of great stuff happening in this show.
come see it.

PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10

there is talk of adding a monday pay what you will on the 14th

LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011

TICKETS
$10

RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune

www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com

Ko and the Knockouts w/ Holly Golightly

IDWEEK: BILL SIENKIEWICZ TALKS 30 DAYS - NEWSARAMA

IDWEEK: BILL SIENKIEWICZ TALKS 30 DAYS - NEWSARAMA

Nearly 99.9% of the time, the particular piece I'm working on will decide the medium and method, in, or by, which it should be done, not vice-versa. Meaning it will do the courtesy, (so to speak), of letting me know what it needs to convey—emotionally, if not technically—what it's trying to say to the reader and the best way to convey it. I'm really more of the conduit, a collaborator, in the production. Any time I've tried to do it the other way around, to decide how I'm going to do any particular piece, to try to force a piece to be something it's not, it ends up in a fight with the piece with the piece usually winning—thereby showing me how little I ultimately know. That said, I do know that the art is at the service of the story, and works with it, occasionally as reinforcement, occasionally as a counterpoint. In the end, it comes down to the piece knowing what its needs are to do just that, and it knows it far better than I. That much, I do know. So that's the answer to your question: to continue to allow that “evolution” you mentioned to continue. To get out of the way in terms of trying to force a result. one can't force oak to be pine. It's a zen thing.

rich little...

Rich Little comes on about 2 minutes 10 seconds on...
this is the gig Colbert killed with last year.

dos chicas theater commune Presents "The Lower Depths"

ok...down below there is the "story" but what this play is about is - our common humanity, what it means to be rid of all our trappings and down to just the man, the consoling lie vs. the hard truth, man as animal, what it means to be rootless in society, etc...
every character in this show has something to it and every line speaks volumes....
although first performed in 1902 it feels very modern and relevant.  The big ideas of this play are still big ideas today, and they resonate through our lives...
anyway, think we've got a helluva show on our hands -
don't miss it!

dos chicas theater commune presents

The Lower Depths
by Maxim Gorky

Directed by Mark Carrier

STORY

Subtitled "Scenes from a Russian Life," The Lower Depths premiered on December 18, 1902 at the Moscow Arts Theatre under Stanislavski's direction, and quickly became the hallmark of Russian Socialist Realism. Gorky focuses on the daily tribulations of a group of lower-class citizens forced by their circumstances to rent out mere square feet in a small, squalid tenement. Being denied opportunity and forced into conditions that have killed any faith they had in themselves, they eagerly accept the comforting lies of the newest member of their little community. By pushing aside the harsh truth, they hope to hide themselves from the bleak reality of their conditions. Through the characters' motives and thoughts, Gorky indicts a perverse civilization that dooms thousands as superfluous and unnecessary in society.

CAST

Tony Esparza, Ken Watkins, Jeremy Carlson, Donna Kay Yarborough, John Dunn, Stephen Foulard, Patrick Jennings, Elizabeth Seabolt, Wilson Limpo, Mari Gianukos, Mike Switzer, Jon Harvey, Lee Finch, Kira Vincent, Brian Nichols, Ashley Barker

PERFORMANCE DATES
ALL SHOWS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 8:00 PM
Weekend Shows: Fri/Sat May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
Pay-What-You-Want shows - Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10

LOCATION
Freneticore Theater
5102 Navigation
Houston, Tx 77011

TICKETS
$10

RESERVATIONS/INFORMATION
832-283-0858
OR
dccommune@yahoo.com
www.doschicastheatercommune.com
http://myspace.com/doschicascommune

www.DosChicasTheaterCommune.com

***IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR EMAIL LIST, PLEASE RESPOND WITH AN EMPTY EMAIL WITH THE WORD "REMOVE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE************

Ulrike Meinhof Writes From the Dead Wing - June 16th 1972 to February 9th 1973

Ulrike Meinhof Writes From the Dead Wing - June 16th 1972 to February 9th 1973

The feeling, one’s head explodes (the feeling, the top of the skull will simply split, burst open) —
the feeling, one’s spinal column presses into one’s brain —
the feeling, one’s brain gradually shrivels up like, for example, a baked fruit —
the feeling, one is uninterruptedly, imperceptibly, under a torrent, one is remote controlled, one’s associations are hacked away —
the feeling, one pisses the soul out of one’s body, like when one cannot hold water —
the feeling, the cell moves. One wakes up, opens one’s eyes: the cell moves; afternoon, if the sun shines in, it suddenly remains still. One cannot get rid of the feeling of motion. One cannot tell whether one shivers from fever or from cold —
one cannot tell why one shivers — one freezes.
To speak at a normal volume requires an effort like that necessary to speak loudly, almost like that necessary to shout—
the feeling, one stops speaking —
one can no longer identify the meaning of words, one can only guess —
the use of sibilants — s,ss, tz, sch — is absolutely unbearable
guards, visits, the yard seems to be made of celluloid —
headaches —
flashes —
sentence construction, grammar, syntax — can no longer be controlled.
When writing two lines — by the end of the second line, one cannot remember the beginning of the first —
the feeling, internal burn-out —
the feeling, if one must say what’s wrong, if one wants to let it out, it’s like a rush of boiling water in the face, like, for example, boiling water that scalds one forever, that disfigures —
Raging aggressivity, for which no outlet exists. That’s the worst.
Clear consciousness that one has no possibility of survival; a complete breakdown of the capacity to mediate this;
Visits leave nothing. A half an hour later one can only mechanically reconstruct whether the visit was today or last week.
Compared to this, bathing once a week means: momentary thaw, a moment of rest — to stop for a couple of hours —
The feeling, time and space are interlocked —
The feeling to find oneself in an amusement park house of mirrors —
to stagger —
Afterwards: awful euphoria, that one heard something — beyond the acoustic day and night differentiation —
The feeling, time now flows, the brain again expands, the spinal column sinks down after weeks.
The feeling, as if one’s skin is thickening.

Red Army Faction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Army Faction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found dead in her cell, hanging from a rope made from jail towels. An investigation concluded that she had hanged herself, a result hotly contested at the time, spurring a plethora of conspiracy theories. Other theories suggest that she took her life because of being ostracized by the rest of the group.

so...

I should be asleep
letting myself worry instead
shouldn't
but do
sometimes
i just think all the wrong thoughts
the voice lately says
"I'm broken."
i've even caught myself
saying it aloud
even if I think
Laing is right
and broken
is the only
way to be
in this broken
world
i wonder
am i broke right?
or broke wrong?
nights like this
when the brain
starts up
every time
I close
my eyes
I have to wonder...
i have to wonder...
so i do.
i lie there
and i motherfuckin'
wonder
when i should
be sleeping
enjoying the parts
of my life
that are going well
and not worrying so
much about the rest
letting the ones
sabotage the others
wonderin'
so much craziness
running rampant
rampant
i say
now i'm up
typing this
and chatting
baader-meinhof
and other bits
of 20th century
german history
with a friend
and trying to
get tired enough
that when i close
my eyes
it all goes
dark.

Art on Cardboard Show 04-13-07 - a photoset on Flickr

for those what didn't make it to the show Killian snapped some pics...

Art on Cardboard Show 04-13-07 - a photoset on Flickr

365 days/365 plays

gonna be a fun show!
had final rehearsal tonight...
went great.
not just the usual suspect either -
check out the cast.

and, oh yeah,
music by The Defenestration Unit -
rockin' it two minutes at a time...
actually we'll start about 7:30 with
the dramatic action starting at 8:00
and then we'll play between each piece
and for a while at the end while folks mingle
and drink...
it's free, and it only last about an hour,
so you can still have a full evening of drinking
or dancing
or fishing
or whatever.



mildred's umbrella theater company

365 Days/365 Plays-
Suzan-Lori Parks
One Weekend Only:
April 20 and 21, 2007

Houston, TX: WHAT IS 365 DAYS/365 PLAYS?

On November 13, 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a day for a year. She began that very day, finishing one year later. The resulting play cycle, called 365 Days/365Plays, is a daily meditation on an artistic life. Some plays are very short, less than a page. Others last forever.

Listen to the radio spot on KUHF

Over 700 theaters are producing the plays nationally. Including local groups such as Infernal Bridegroom Productions, NovaArts, HSPVA, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre, and Strand Street Theatre.

Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company is performing their 7 assigned plays, along with The Three Constants (short plays that all theatres in the festival may use), on April 20 and 21 at 8pm. The show is "Pay as You Like", meaning it is free to the public, although patrons are encouraged to make a small donation to the production. The performances will take place at Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman.

For more information about this production, please visit Mildred's Umbrella's website at www.mildredsumbrella.com or call 832-418-0973.

For more information about the 365 days/365 plays festival in general, please visit the official website at www.365days365plays.com.

What: 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan Lori-Parks
Who: Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company
When: April 20 and 21, 2007

Featuring LIVE music by 'The Defenestration Unit'

Where: Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman

How Much: Free, or pay as you like

Contact: mildredsumbrella@hotmail.com or 832-418-0973

Come on by and check out MU and some of their freinds participate in a interesting weekend of short plays,
REMEMBER: ITS FREE!

Cast/crew

over all Production Manager/Dir: Jennifer Decker 1) Accident- Dir. by Jennifer Decker Man- Ryan Kelly Woman-Amy Warren Waiter- Heidi Morgan Band Leader- Mike Switzer 2) Less and Less Dir. by Jennifer Decker Man- John Wind 3) Project Ulysees Film by Paul Locklear Cast- BLP 4) Kinder Lehrnen Deutsch dir by- Eric Doss Man- Alan Hall Woman- Patricia Duran

5) The Jesus Rose Masha- Christie Guidry Donotalo- Mike Switzer Max- Bob Morgan Clara- Carole Kelly Stranger- David Anderson 6) Litter of Discontent- dir. by Rob Baker Man- Dave Harlan Woman- Kelly Manison Guard- Troy Schulz Happy Woman- Brandy Robichau Happy Man- Richard Lyders 7) Monster’s Mother dir. - John Harvey Mother 1- All Stephen Foulard Mother 2,Chorus of Woodsmen,Servant 1,Servant 2 8) Constant 1- Remember who you are Someone- Liz Seabolt Someone Else- Karen Schlag 9) Constant 2- Action in Inaction-Anne Zimmerman

tonight

two whiskeys
cost the same as two of my meals
(or one good one)

not drinking
at home alone tonight
instead drinking
at the bar alone tonight

the wild ones
have all left town
there is no #
no point in picking up the phone
nobody to answer, "Where?"
when I say, "Drink?"
so there I am
whiskey in my hand
reading
The Pillowman

yeah,
that cheered me up.

then I work on lines -
act II - The Lower Depths
"In the old days, old man,
before my organism was poisoned with alcohol..."

None of these things
the whiskey
The Pillowman
The Lower Depths
distract me from the real

the one who ended up sleeping
in my bed one drunk night
(i emphasize sleeping)
the one i think about
asking to marry me
once a week or so
the one who escaped by marriage
and all the married ones I haven't met yet...

and the fact that I'm drinking,
as I'll be sleeping,
alone.

FOXNews.com - Writers Praise Kurt Vonnegut - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

haven't mentioned Vonnegut's passing...
he was one of the big ones for me.
I never tire of reading and rereading his work.
His humanism had a profound influence on my thoughts.
He was a great man, if such a thing exists.


FOXNews.com - Writers Praise Kurt Vonnegut - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment


"I became a writer because of him," said Walter, 41. "It was his compassion, humanism and great humor in the face of 20th century horrors that made me realize all that a writer could do. He was deceptively simple and because readers discovered him when they were young, they sometimes made the mistake of dismissing him later, but what he was doing was so complex, so difficult."

Cardboard Art Show - Friday at Super Happy Fun Land 6-9pm Me, Joe Mathlete, Keith, Rosa, Justin, Joel and more....

Finished my pieces up this morning...
this is going to be a great show - many of my favorite people showing their work...
hope you can come by...

M

The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.

Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.

Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Poopy Lungstuffing - Poopy LungStuffing is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Flakey - Flakey is a co-Founder of Super Happy Fun Land, a crazy weirdo artist and musician
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Emerald Mystiek - Austin visual artist and designated cool person.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
YET Torres - Houston based artist.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate


http://www.disclexington.com/cardboard.htm

http://www.superhappyfunland.com

Where's mike this week?

A calendar (for stalkers)

Monday - Work and rehearsal for The Lower Depths
Tuesday - Work, rehearsal for Mildred's Umbrella's 365 days/365 plays and The Lower Depths
Wednesday - Work, The Lower Depths rehearsal, and then The Defenestration Unit's weekly gig at Bohemeo's
Thursday - No work(instead working on art and working on lines working at the axiom and maybe on Pillowman for John Harvey and The U of H Honors program then The Lower Depths rehearsal, then off to Rudz to play with The Mathletes and The Redo Makeshift band (Killian Sweeney, Joe Mathlete, Me, Ramon Medina (LP4), and who knows who all else?...really, who knows? could you tell me? cause I'd love to know...)
Friday - work, IBP gala band rehearsal and cardboard art show...possibly karaoke after? beer cellar anyone?
Saturday - The Lower Depths rehearsal - full run - off book - like we know what we're doing...
whooohoo! - the IBP gala - I'm doing more singing than usual this year...and all of it sounds better than when I attempted to sing "Mystery Dance"...if you were there you were probably too drunk to remember me trying to sing "Mystery Dance" and that is o.k....it was, as the gala often is, a long weird night.
Sunday - gala cleanup and maybe Pillowman work? and maybe, just maybe some sleep...

NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers

Just another quick reminder -
you should be reading NAP...
these people are saying all the right things,
even when they disagree.

Here is Dyn@mutt Doug D. on the Houston "scene."

NonAlignment Pact: Music in Seven Days from Seven Writers


It's ironic, then, that I have to admit I do belong to a scene, and it is the Houston scene, despite being thousands of miles and nine years from it. Amongst many of my university cohorts, Houston was a dirty seven letter word, but for me it was an amazing, improbable place, a place that was inspirational despite its best attempts otherwise, and I still describe the Houston music scene lovingly to people. Little barrier to entry, open to insanity, easy to support yourself in order to afford to make your music, people who are grateful to come out and support anything of interest. You never make it huge if you're from Houston - at least not the loosely defined indie rock, um, scene - you just do what you love for small passionate audiences. At least, that's how I remember it.

cardboard art show

welcome to disclexington

one week from today I'll be showing "art" for the first time...

The Birdhouse Museum presents the Cardboard Art Show at Super Happy Funland from Friday April 13th thru the 20th.

Opening party 6 PM to 9 PM Friday April 13th.

Creative Types channel their energy to cardboard.
Each artist makes 13 pieces, each piece on 6" by 8" cardboard.
Featuring (but not limited to):
Justin Crane - Austinite, former KTRU DJ, musician and card designer.
Keith Reynolds - Houston's original cardboard artist.
Joe Mathlete - Check out Joe's blog and you'll see why he's got to be there.
Claire Yanik - Used to bartend at Catal Huyuk (the Axiom)she now lives in False Pass, Alaska and is a painter and the dj for the Nonalignment Pact.
Joel Orr - Houston puppeteer and organizer.
Brad Moore - Brad Moore is the Breeze.
Lisa Yu - Lisa Yu is Chicago based artist.
John Cramer - Houston psych-metal guitar wizard of Mike Gunn, Project Grimm fame.
Rosa Guerrero - Houston rock photographer and writer. Look out.
Allan Pocius - Chicago cardboard artist. The originator of the Birdhouse Museum series of cardboard art shows.
Denise Ramos - Houston artist and club proprietor.
Yvonne Torres - Houston based artist and NameLess Sound coordinator.
Marie Catrett - Austinite creator extraordinaire
Mike Switzer - Houston musician and Infernal Bridegroom affiliate

Dick Dale on the music industry

via boing boing:

update

The Lower Depths opens May 3rd and rehearsals are going great...
Working getting a week of 365 days/plays for Ornery Theatre.
Just have to find a week open in Houston later in the year when it cools down a bit...

This weekend The Defenestration Unit plays Sat at Notsuoh with Cartwheels in Central Park and The Mathletes...
we're gonna play one of Joe's songs with him...and believe me, you wanna hear it...
next week is crazy busy - rehearsals for mildred's umbrella's 365 days inn addition to the lower depths.
finishing up my art for the cardboard art show at Super Happy Fun Land on the 13th...
and I'm sure at least a coupla things I am forgetting...

anyway,
at least my artistic life is going well...

The trouble with being human these days: Identity by Zygmunt Bauman

The trouble with being human these days: Identity by Zygmunt Bauman

In Identity, Bauman cites French philosopher Michel Serres' nomination of Don Juan as the first hero of modernity, delighting in spontaneity and inconstancy. 'The strategy of carpe diem is a response to a world emptied of values pretending to be lasting,' Bauman suggests. The strategy is well captured in Penny Woolcock's 2003 film The Principles of Lust, in which the protagonist is attracted to a demonic character who rejects commitment of any kind and lives by a credo of instant and disposable gratification. That film's lack of success may indicate that Don Juan has lost his glamour as his worldview has become too real.

bottle up and go

mama caught a chicken
thought it was a duck
put it on the table
with it's feet
sticking up

My Baby Don't Love Me

ASU News > The effects of affection

ASU News > The effects of affection

“Being affectionate is good for you,” Floyd says. “Affection can be a simple, non-pharmaceutical, cheap way to reduce stress.”

Floyd has found that there are direct associations between being an affectionate person and a lower risk of depression and stress.

“Highly affectionate people tend to have better mental health and less stress. They also react to stress better,” he says.

and

At the start of the study, Floyd asked the subjects to rate themselves on a scale he uses to determine how affectionate people are. He found that people’s overall affection level didn’t make a difference in the stress response. Even people who aren’t naturally affectionate can reap the health benefits of affectionate communication.

Eloise